October 10, 2016

On October 6, 2016, Sajid Javid, U.K.’s Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, overruled local objections by granting Cuadrilla Resources permission for up to four horizontally-drilled, high-volume hydraulically-fractured wells to produce natural gas from shale formations in North Lancashire, U.K. The decision marks Britain’s first approval of new wells using the controversial method to produce natural gas from shale since Cuadrilla’s exploratory drilling was halted due to seismic activity in 2011. Earlier this year another producer was granted permission to “frack” a well it had already drilled in 2013.